Hay Fever is comedy about acting, about the theatre, about the relation of art and reality.
The eccentric and unconventional Bliss family – mother Judith (a recently-retired actress), father David (a self-absorbed novelist) and their young adult children, Simon and Sorel – are bored and restless.
To spice up their weekend, each has invited an admirer to stay, but all too soon the unwary guests are out of their depth – teased mercilessly with party games, lured into flirtations and unsuspectingly “cast” in roles they didn’t intend – all for the wicked amusement of their hosts.
With his characteristically sharp-edged wit, Coward creates a riotous ‘comedy of bad manners’, as the hapless outsiders try desperately to keep up with this outrageous ménage.
Only 24 when he wrote Hay Fever, Noel Coward was himself one of the Bright Young Things who partied hard and fast during the 1920s. He knew the restless pursuit of pleasure and the self-indulgence of the “Jazz Age” and brings both together in this sophisticated and stylish satire.
If you’ve ever wondered where Edward Albee got the idea for ‘get the guest’ in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, this play provides the answer!
Director: Rosane McNamara Cast: Adrian Adam, James Bean, Jorja Brain, Giles Gartrell-Mills, David Halgren, Tess Haubrich, Alice Livingstone, Alyssan Russell Associate Director/Dialect Coach: Frank McNamara Set Design: David Marshall-Martin Costume Design: Phoebe Thomson Lighting Design: Tony Youlden Sound Design: Rosane McNamara
Hay Fever
New Theatre, 542 King Street, Newtown
Season: 8 October – 2 November 2013
Bookings: www.newtheatre.org.au
For more information, visit: www.newtheatre.org.au for details.
Image: David Halgren and Tess Haubrich (courtesy of New Theatre)
